Types O-negative (O-) and O-positive (O+) are best suited to donate red blood cells. O-negative is the universal blood type, meaning that anyone can receive your blood. And O- and O+ blood are both extra special when it comes to traumas where there is no time for blood typing.
Type O negative, often called the “universal” blood, is always in demand because O negative red blood cells can be transfused to anyone regardless of their blood type.
Choose Your Ideal Type of Donation
Plasma donations are a great fit for anyone who wants to earn extra while having a meaningful impact on the lives of others, while whole blood donations are perfect for those who are short on time, but still want to give back.
O negative blood is valuable because it can be transfused to anyone, regardless of their blood type.
Type O-positive blood can be transfused to any positive blood type: A-positive, B-positive, AB-positive, and of course other O-positives. Patients with O-positive blood can receive blood transfusions from other O-positives or O-negative donors. The ideal donation types for O+ donors are whole blood or Power Red.
O+ blood is very important as a (mostly) universal red blood cell type. This blood type can be used in emergency situations such as traumatic bleeding or other types of emergency transfusions. It is also an important blood type as type “O” patients can only receive type “O” red blood cell transfusions.
O negative is the universal blood type. O negative blood type can only receive O negative blood. O negative donors who are CMV negative are known as Heroes for Babies at the Red Cross because it is the safest blood for transfusions for immune deficient newborns. Learn more about how you can be a Hero for a Baby.
Of the eight main blood types, people with Type O have the lowest risk for heart attacks and blood clots in the legs and lungs. This may be because people with other blood types have higher levels of certain clotting factors, which are proteins that cause blood to coagulate (solidify).
You must be in good health at the time you donate. You cannot donate if you have a cold, flu, sore throat, cold sore, stomach bug or any other infection. If you have recently had a tattoo or body piercing you cannot donate for 6 months from the date of the procedure.
The body can detoxify itself naturally (e.g., with help from your liver), but giving blood may help your body's detoxing potential. For example, blood (and plasma) donations have been shown to have an effect on the levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs).
Donating regularly may help your blood flow and result in fewer arterial blockages. In fact, some studies have shown that men who donate at least three times a year can drastically reduce their risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
What's the rarest blood type? AB negative is the rarest of the eight main blood types - just 1% of our donors have it. Despite being rare, demand for AB negative blood is low and we don't struggle to find donors with AB negative blood. However, some blood types are both rare and in demand.
O negative blood is often called the 'universal blood type' because people of any blood type can receive it. This makes it vitally important in an emergency or when a patient's blood type is unknown.
Type O negative red blood cells are considered the safest to give to anyone in a life-threatening emergency or when there's a limited supply of the exact matching blood type. That's because type O negative blood cells don't have antibodies to A, B or Rh antigens.
Interestingly, a high proportion of centenarians in our cohort (70%) were of O blood type, which has been found in several studies and meta-analyses to protect from cardiovascular diseases and cancers (e.g., pancreatic and gastric cancers)17.
There are eight main blood types but some are rarer than others. The list below shows the percentage of donors with each blood type: O positive: 35% O negative: 13%
Carriers of blood group 0 (I) are generally more resistant to diseases, with the exception of H. pylori-associated gastrointestinal diseases. Carriers of «antigenic» blood groups A (II), B (III), AB (IV) are more susceptible to development of infectious, cardiovascular and cancer diseases.
However, despite their popularity, the band was also the subject of much controversy. One of the main sources of controversy surrounding Type O Negative was their lyrics, which often touched on themes such as death, sex, depression, and drug use.
What happened was that dad and mom each passed both an O and an Rh negative to the baby. The end result is an O negative child. Each of their kids has around a 1 in 8 chance of having O negative blood. This is possible because both O and Rh- are something called recessive traits.
O-negative blood is necessary for emergencies
In short, O-negative blood is critical because of what it doesn't have: the A, B and D antigens, which can all trigger an immune response when the recipient isn't a match.
That said, there's one blood type that puts the rarity and universality of O negative to shame. That's Rh-null, also know as “golden blood.”
A baby may have the blood type and Rh factor of either parent, or a combination of both parents. Rh factors follow a common pattern of genetic inheritance. The Rh-positive gene is dominant (stronger) and even when paired with an Rh-negative gene, the positive gene takes over.